Editing San Carlos, California (section)

===Late 19th century===
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While the [[California Gold Rush]] of 1849 found no gold nearby, disappointed [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] prospectors made their way to the region, bringing the first non-Spanish western settlers. The Argüello family retained deed to their ranch through the transfer of governments to the [[United States]], and, in the 1850s, began selling parcels of it through their agent S. M. Mezes.

While the port of [[Redwood City, California|Redwood City]], to the south, and the town of [[Belmont, California|Belmont]], to the north, both grew quickly in the late 19th century, San Carlos' growth was much slower. Major portions were purchased by the [[San Carlos%2 California Brittan|Brittan Family]], the [[San Carlos%2 California Hull|Hull Family]], the [[San Carlos%2 California Ralston|Ralston]] family and [[Timothy Guy Phelps]].

[[File:Portion of Phelps Estate.jpg|thumb|Parcel divide of the Phelps Estate as of 1917]]
Timothy Phelps, a wealthy politician, made an early attempt to further develop the San Carlos area. He paid for significant improvements such as sewer lines and street grading, and began to promote lot sales in what he immodestly called "The Town of Phelps".

Phelps' sales were largely unsuccessful, and he eventually sold much of his land to Nicholas T. Smith's San Carlos Land Development Company. Other developers were not overly fond of Phelps' eponymous efforts, and decided to rename the town. Some maps are existent referring to the area as "Lomitas" ("little hills" in Spanish) but eventually due to historical legend, the name "San Carlos" was chosen. As noted previously, it was believed that Portolá had first seen the San Francisco Bay on November 4 from the San Carlos hills. November 4 is the [[feast day]] of [[Charles Borromeo|St. Charles]]. As well, the Spanish king at the time was [[Charles III of Spain|Carlos III]], and the first ship to sail into San Francisco bay was the ''San Carlos''.

The newly named region{{mdash}}not yet [[municipal corporation|incorporated]]{{mdash}}received a boost with the construction of the [[Peninsula Commute|Peninsula Railroad Corridor]] in 1863, and the addition, of a station at San Carlos in 1888.

Growth remained slow through the turn of the 20th century, with most residents enjoying the short 35-minute train ride to San Francisco while living in a rural setting. The Hull family operated a dairy located at the modern intersection of Hull and Laurel. Many of the other residents which were not involved in agriculture were wealthy business and professional men who worked with the railroad or in San Francisco.

Despite the efforts of the developers, growth was very slow in this period, and San Carlos ended the 19th century with fewer than one hundred houses and families.